Coupling.



F. BUSHEY.

COUPLING.

APPLEOATION FILED AUG. 24, 1914.

1,131,820., V Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l i Ly *2 F/LLMORE Busmz Y F. BUSHEY.

COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24 1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m uamtoz FILL/MORE BUSH E Y arnnmonn nusngn'a, or so. gens, anemone.

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a eeianau aor Letters Patent. .Patenteel Mar. 116, new.

Application filed August 24, 19153;. SferilfNO. 858,357.

To all whom it may concern; Be it known that l, FILLM RE BUSHEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Albans, in the county of Franklin and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. his invention relates to certain improvements in couplers and has relation more particularly to a device of this general charac ter especially designed and adapted for use in connection with train lines, and an object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character havinggnovel and [improvedmeans whereby the'coupling of the train. lines is efi'ectedfiin substantially an an.- tomatic manner. d V p It is also an object of, the invention to provide a coupler vof thisgeneral character whereby the lines may be v automatically fit) closed upon the separation of the coupler. I

Furthermore, it is an object of. the inven tion'to provide a deviceof this general. character having novel and improved means capable of manual operation whereby the line for the brakes maybe maintained open'upon the separation of the coupler,

.l heinvention consists in the details of construction andin the combination and arrangement of the Several parts of my im proved coupler. whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for i i' l .as w l b h af r mo e fully et 'o a The novel features of the invention will ,be carefully defined in the appended claims.

llnorder that my invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to, describe the same with reference to. the, accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a sidejelevational view ofa coupler constructed .in. accordance with an embodiment of my invention; Fig.2 is a bottom plan view. of the device as disclosed Fig. 1, with a part thereof insection; Fig.3}js a fraentaryyiewintop plam' on a .redffced scale, of my lmprov'edkcoupler as herein embodied; Fig. 4:; is a sectional view taken substantially, onithe line. of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a front elevational VlGWrOf one pf the heads comprised in my: improved con,- gler Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view, etached, takenlpngitudinally of. the conand is trolling valve herein disclosed as interposed in the air line; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken "substantially on the line 1-7 of F ef. As disclosed in the accompanying .drawings, D denotes a draw bar of conventional construction suitably supported by the end of a car 0 and depending from theforward endof the draw bar D is-a yoke 1 directed through the. elongated longitudinally disposed slot Qproduced 'inthe tail 3 of acoupler head.v 4... The free extremity of the tail 30f the head is reduced, as indicated, at. 5, referably circular in cross section andis isposed through a suitable opening 6 produced in the plate 7 depending from thejdraw bar Dand surrounding the reduced portion 5 is the expansible member 8, herein disclosed as'a coil spring, and interposed between' the plate 7 and the'shoulder 9, afforded by such reduced extremity. By this arrangement, it will be readily perceived that the-'head 4' is'etfectively su ported in a manner as to be entirely free of strain incident to the car motion and which is capable of operative engagement with a coacting head with a minimum of shock and in order that the coupler may have the. requisite flexibility, ll find it in practice .of advantage to have the reduced extremity 5 formed of a separable pieceand hingedly engaged with the tail 3 through the medium of the vertically disposed'pivot pin 10, it being preferred that the free end of the tail be providedwith a socket, as indicated at 11, to receive the adjacent extremity of the separable reduced portion 5;. i 'The head 4 is substantially pyramidal in form and one longitudinal half thereof is hollow to aiford a pyramidal recess '12 adapted to recei'vethe pyramidal extension it of the meeting head andfitis to be observed that the contiguous faces of the recess 12 and he extension 14. are flush one with the other. so that'the coacting heads, when assembled; have va substantially wedge action, as'is believed'tobe clearly apparent to those skilled in'the, art to-which' my present inventionappertains. As herein'embodied, the head 4 at substantially the base of the extension 14 is provided with a plurality of superimposed transversely, disposed ports 15, the uppermost port being adapted to coact with the air me for the brake system, the intermediate port with the signal line, and the lowermost 20 with which is adapted to coact a, valve 21 carried by the stem 22 disposed axially of the sleeve and having its forward extremit Lprovided with a parti-spherical head 23 normally projecting beyond the inner face of the recess 12 and maintained in such normal position through the medium of the expansible member 2 1 herein disclosed as a coil spring interposed between-the spider 25 and the annular flange 26 carried by the stem 22. By this arrangement, it will be observed that as the extensions 14 enter within the respective recesses or pockets -12 the valve 21 will be automatically forced into an open position, it being understood that the head 23 is suitably perforated in order to permit the requisite flow of the fiuid therebeyond. a I have found in practice that it is essential to provide means whereby the valve for controlling the flow through the upper port 15, .which Is comprised in the air line for the brake system, be prevented from closing especially in case of a train breaking, an as herein set forth, thisis accomplished by having projected within the sleeve 19 of such port the vertically disposed shaft 27, the inner extremity whereof being provided with a laterally disposed cam member 28 ada ted to engage the annular flange 26 carrie by the stem 22 whereby it will be readily perceived that upon proper rotation of the shaft 27 the valve 22 will be forced into an open adjustment and in order to maintain such adjustment the upper or projected extremity. of the shaft 27 is angularly disposed to afford a means whereby the shaft may be manually operated and adapted to be enga ed by the hook or latch member 29 carried y the coacting head 4. j

The hook or latch member 29 is pivotally supported by the head 4 for movementin a vertical plane and any suitable means ma be employed in connection therewith for a justing'the same into inoperative position in order that such ort may be closed should the necessities of practice so require. As I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any particular means for adjusting the hook or latch member 29,1 refer to the same as a whole by the reference character 30.

While not essential, I find it of advantageto provide the opposed faces of the respective heads 4 with the gaskets 31 of suitable dimensions and preferably formed ofhard rubber or the like, for reasons which are believed to be clearly apparent.

parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice.

I claim: I

1. A coupler of the character described comprising coacting comple lental heads, each of said heads having ports disposed therethrough, the ports of one head being adapted to register with the ports of a second head when said heads are coupled, a line connection with each of the ports, valves for controlling the flow through the ports and normally projecting beyond the inner faces of the heads and adapted to be en? gaged by the coacting head, a shaft rotatably supported by each of the heads, a cam carried by the shaft and adapted to coact with one of the valves for maintaining the same in an open adjustment upon axial rotation of the shaft, and means for holding the .shaft against axial rotation.

2, A coupler of the character described comprising coacting complemental heads,

each of said heads having ports disposed therethrough, the ports of one head being adapted to register with the ports of a second head when said heads are coupled, a line connection with each of the ports, valves for controlling the flow through the ports and normally projecting beyond the inner faces of the heads and adapted to be engaged by the coacting head, a shaftrotatably supported by each of the heads, a cam carried by the shaft and adapted to enact with one of the valves for maintaining the same in an open adjustment upon axial rotation of the shaft, said shaft being provided with an angular portion to afford a means whereby the shaft may be axially rotated, and means coacting with the angular portion of the shaft for holding the same against axial rotation.

'3. A coupler of the character described comprising coacting. complemental heads,

each of said heads having ports disposed therethrough, the ports of one head being adapted to register with the ports of a secvrangement and formation of the several.

ond headwhen said heads are coupled, a line connection with each of the ports, valves for controlling the flow through the ports and normally projecting beyond the inner facesof the heads and adapted to beengaged, by the coactinghead, a shaft rotatably supported by each of the heads,;a cam carried by the shaft and adapted tofcoact with one of the valves for maintaining the same in an open adjustment upon axial rotation of the shaft, said shaft being provided with an angular portion to afford a means whereby the shaft may be axially rotated, and means carried by one head coacting with the angular extremity of the shaft of the second head for holding said shaft against axial rotation. "4.A'bo11pler of the character described comprising coacting complemental heads, each of said heads having ports disposed therethrough, the ports of one head being adapted to register with the ports of a second head when said heads are coupled, a

line connection with each of the ports, valves for controlling the flow through the ports and normally projecting beyond the inner faces-of the heads and adapted to be engaged by the coacting head, a shaft rotatably supported by each of the heads, a cam carried by the shaft and adapted to coact with one of the valves for maintaining the same in an open adjustment upon axial rotation of the shaft, said shaft being provided with an angular portion to afford a means whereby the shaft may be axially FILLMORE BUSHEY.

Witnesses:

NATHAN N. Pos'r, SAREH E. Baxrnn. 

